This invention pertains to motor vehicles and, more particularly, to a brake signaling system and method for use with motor vehicles.
Insufficient spacing between vehicles is the cause of one of the most costly and serious types of traffic accidents, the rear end collision. Rough estimates conservatively indicate that it accounts for more that one-third of all traffic accidents and one-half of the resulting injuries. Driving too close to a leading vehicle is the most basic driving error. Tailgating produces the deadliest damage, ranking the number one cause of auto accidents and injuries on the highway. Not only do such accidents result in loss of life and injuries which causes human suffering to persons and their families, but such accidents often require expensive repairs and cause insurance premiums to increase.
Rear end collisions can often be prevented. Generally, such collisions are the direct result of drivers trailing so closely or tailgating, that they cannot stop in time. When the forward vehicle stops quickly or slows down, the driver of the trailing vehicle often fails to appreciate that stopping his vehicle involves numerous factors: e.g., the driver's reflexes, reaction time, age, eyesight, physical condition, awareness of other vehicles, attentiveness and concentration on driving, sobriety, as well as the velocity of the vehicle, condition and grade of the road, weather conditions, visibility, type and weight of the vehicle, operating condition of the vehicle, and especially its tires and brakes. Conditions also vary between daytime and night-time driving and the amount of ambient light available. It is often difficult to quickly determine the minimum safe distance required between cars because of the numerous factors involved.
One safety organization recommends one car length for each 10 miles per hour of speed of the trailing vehicle. Improving a driver's awareness and reaction time is important. For example, providing an improvement of awareness or reaction time of even 1/10th of a second not previously available gives an additional three feet of stopping distance at 20 miles per hour, six feet at 40 miles per hour, and as much as nine feet at 60 miles per hour. This extra distance can be the difference between a safe stop and a rear end collision. Even 10ths of seconds of improvement in awareness or reaction time is of considerable significance.
Significantly, motor vehicle accidents involving rear end collisions comprise about one-third of the total accidents in the United States. Indeed, the severity of this problem prompted the U.S. Government to mandate the use of high-mounted, third brake lights on all post 1985 U.S. delivered automobiles. Through various tests, it has been found that such central high-mounted brake lights provide greater and improved recognition factors to the driver of the trailing vehicle and improves the reaction time of the driver by about 1/10th of a second in a braking condition, i.e. where the leading vehicle has activated its brakes.
Over the years, various prior art vehicle lighting and signaling devices, and methods of their construction and use, have been suggested. For example, Caine, U.S. Pat. No. 4,808,968, discloses a warning and brake light arrangement such that an amber warning light is associated with a high-mounted brake light with the warning light being illuminated continuously except when the braking system is activated. With brake light illumination, the warning light is extinguished. This lighting arrangement is not very effective, since the warning light only communicates when the braking system is inactive.
Caine, U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,913 discloses a safe distance signal light, such as with four illuminated areas located in four quadrants of a rectangular grid system. As the distance between vehicles increase, various sized opaque spaces between the quadrants progressively disappear, and less lights are seen.
Kobayashi, Japanese patent application no. 63-17140, discloses a brake light system control circuit which provides a variable voltage output to the brake light in relation to the movement of a sliding resistor attached to the brake pedal coupler rod. This system, although it monitors brake pedal travel distance, does not monitor activity within the hydraulic braking system. Since a monitoring device is only as accurate as the system it monitors, this system can provide faulty output associated with wear in the brake system, e.g., linkage and brake shoe/pad wear, etc., which would require frequent and inconvenient recalibration. Furthermore, the output of the system, via a variable intensity brake light, can create difficulties regarding perception of the light when other variables are considered, e.g., changes in ambient environmental light, use in different automobiles, etc. and, therefore, standardization would seem to be difficult.
Murata, Japanese patent application no. 63-17141, discloses a message display device which provides various messages initiated by the operator, or by sensors in the automobile, as to the operator's intentions or activity within the automobile, e.g., turning, gear changing, braking, etc. The device is not specific to the braking system, nor does it provide the type of data which is given by the present invention.
Gabaldon, U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,931 discloses a vehicle light system which incorporates a display of various lights that signal different operations of the vehicle, e.g., turning, stopping, backing up, etc. This system is not specific to the braking system. Furthermore, Gabaldon only provides "on-off" information regarding braking activity.
These prior art vehicle lighting and signaling devices, and methods, have met with varying degrees of success, but generally do not achieve the advantages of the present invention. Furthermore, while these prior art patents and foreign patent applications, disclose various types of rear end, lighting systems and methods of their construction, none of them, whether taken singularly or in combination, discloses the specific details, structural elements, and process steps of the present invention as specified in the claims of this patent application.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide an improved brake signaling system and process which overcomes most, if not all of these problems, to help decrease accidents and increases safety of the driver and passengers.